The silence in the room settled thick and heavy, punctuated only by the steady, mechanical tick of the cuckoo clock on the wall. The carpet was plush beneath Craig’s knees, but the floor underneath it felt cold and unyielding through the wool of his trousers. Rule number one when a job goes sideways, Craig reminded…

The air in Dr. Debra’s consultation room was thick with the scent of polished leather, jasmine, and the deeper trace of musk. Outside, rain washed over downtown, but inside, soundproofing panels muted the city to a low, steady pulse. Behind her desk hung her Columbia doctorate in clinical psychology, flanked by her state license and…

Sitting down and taking an hour to answer all 50 questions about myself and my past experiences has really helped mould Debra into a clone of who I was, how I acted, how I spoke, and more importantly ... to me anyways ... the raging internal monologue that I'd have to contend with every time…

The following interview was created while developing Debra, one of the central characters in my book. Debra exists in several overlapping forms: Dr. Debra, the professional psychologist; Female Led Relationship Debra, her intensely dominant persona; and simply Debra, the quieter woman underneath both. Because I wanted her to be grounded in reality rather than written…